In recent years, electronic stability control systems for motor vehicles have become increasingly popular. Conventionally, such systems monitor vehicle stability-related quantities such as a yaw rate error, i.e., a deviation between yaw rates expected based on vehicle speed and steering wheel angle and an observed yaw rate, and respectively brake the wheels at one side of the vehicle in order to assist cornering, i.e., to decrease the deviation between expected and observed yaw rates.
An inherent dilemma in conventional ESC systems is the fact that drivers expect them to become active reliably in critical situations and then to have a noticeable effect on the motion of the vehicle, whereas, on the other hand, the driver is easily annoyed if the ESC system interferes in a situation which he is or at least believes to be capable of handling himself. In order to make ESC system as unintrusive as possible, its activation threshold will have to be set rather high, thus allowing the driver to get into a problematic situation where harsh measures of the ESC system are necessary and which might easily have been prevented with a lower activation threshold.
At least one object of the present invention is to help solve this dilemma. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.